Oyster mushroom or Poplar fieldcap

Cap 5–25 cm across, rounded or ear-shaped in young mushrooms, then fan-shaped or oyster-shaped (hence the English name oyster mushroom). Surface smooth, moist, from dark gray or gray-blue in young ones to pale gray or almost white in mature ones. Margin wavy, thin.

The cap of the poplar fieldcap is 4 to 10, occasionally up to 15 centimeters across. When young it is hemispherical; with age it opens to convex and flat, often with fine radial cracks across the surface in dry weather. The surface is smooth, dry and matte. The color is dark brown or chestnut at first, fading with age and from center to edge to light ochre, cream or nearly white; the center is usually darker.

Gills crowded, whitish or cream, running from the cap down the stem. In young mushrooms the gills are tightly packed; in old ones they spread apart. Spore print white or pale lilac.

The spore-bearing surface is made of gills. The gills are attached to the stem and fairly crowded, whitish or pale gray at first, turning tobacco-brown, rusty-brown from the spores as they mature. The spore print is tobacco-brown. Pale gills that brown with age, together with the ring on the stem, help you recognize this species.

Stem 1–5 cm tall (or almost absent in side-attached mushrooms), 1–2.5 cm thick, firm, off-center or lateral, white or slightly gray. No ring and no volva.

The stem is cylindrical, fairly long and firm, 5 to 12 centimeters tall, white or cream, often browning toward the base. Near the top there is a persistent white membranous ring — a remnant of the veil — on which brown spore dust often settles. Several stems fuse together in a cluster at the base. There is no volva. The stem flesh is tougher than the cap, so mostly the caps are eaten.

Flesh white, firm in young mushrooms, more fibrous and tough in mature ones — especially in the stem. Taste mild, slightly anise-like. Soaks up flavors well during cooking.

The flesh is white, firm and springy — fleshy in the cap and fibrous-tough in the stem. It does not change color when cut. The taste is pleasant, nutty and mushroomy, sometimes with a light winey note. Thanks to its firmness, the flesh holds its shape when cooked and doesn't turn mushy, which is why the mushroom is so valued in the kitchen.

Smell pleasant, anise-mushroomy, subtle. Fresh oyster mushrooms smell soft and unobtrusive. When fried, the aroma becomes stronger and closer to the classic mushroom smell.

The smell is pleasant and mushroomy, with a distinctive winey-mealy or cedar-like note. The aroma is quite pronounced and helps you recognize the mushroom, along with its clustered growth on poplar, pale cap and white ring on the stem.